These latest results show an encouraging picture for North Lanarkshire, against a backdrop of a global pandemic, a cost of living crisis and high levels of deprivation. 

Leader of the council, Councillor Jim Logue, said, “Despite the devastating impact of the current financial pressures on people and businesses across North Lanarkshire, I am cautiously optimistic about the future after latest performance figures indicate a more positive position for the region going forward. 

“Albeit our economy has improved at a smaller rate than previous years, new figures indicate that it is growing and economic growth has a positive impact on people, communities and businesses. The number of people claiming employment-related benefits has decreased by almost 48% since 2020 – lower than pre-pandemic levels – and for the first time, weekly pay in North Lanarkshire is higher than the national average. Educational attainment continues to improve and positive post-school destinations are at our highest-ever levels. These are positive outcomes that will have a real and tangible impact on people who live and work here.”

Other positive trends identified from the latest health check indicators show:

• The number of people claiming employment-related benefits has decreased by 47.7% from 14,195 as at December 2020 to 7,420 as at December 2022 – with the claimant count now lower than pre-pandemic levels.
• Gross Added Value remains positive, growing by 0.3% from 2019 to 2020 suggesting the economy in North Lanarkshire continues to grow and has steadily remained above the national average.
• The number of school leavers achieving a positive destination is at its highest ever level of 94.5% in 2020-21 - representing a drop from 8.2% to 5.5% in the number of pupils not entering a positive destination. 
• Education attainment rates have improved compared to five years ago, with 37% of all pupils gaining 5+ awards at level 6 in 2020/21, and with 22% of pupils living in the 20% most deprived areas. 
• Overall school exclusion rates show significant improvement, reducing by 56% over the five-year period (2016/17 to 2020/21) and rates for looked-after children dropping by almost 70%.
• Net migration has picked up again with predictions that the population in North Lanarkshire will continue to grow over the next five years. 

The Leader continued, “We have invested £1.3 billion in our communities to improve the physical and digital infrastructure across North Lanarkshire. Major projects such as the Glenboig Link Road and on-going work on the Pan-Lanarkshire Transport Corridor, are connecting communities and generating conditions for increased business development, all which help to create jobs and improve the local economy.”

In addition, from the £1.3bn of capital investment (over the five-year period from 2021/22 to 2025/26) key activity has been achieved to improve the physical environment of North Lanarkshire to help create the economic, social and community conditions that will enable local people and communities to thrive: 

• Around 2,100 new homes built, on site or in development.
• 736 properties across high-rise towers and low-rise blocks demolished as part of the phase 1 towers re-provisioning programme (since approved in May 2018).
• Housing investment of £354m over the five year period to 2022/23
• Ongoing investment in town centres / edge of town projects, with 19 town centre projects completed and 10 currently being developed and delivered.
• Through the hub programme, two establishments are currently in construction, five are at the design stage, and one is at the pre-design stage; this adds to the 63 new establishments (11 secondary, 36 primary, and 16 family learning centres, including 1140 hours related centres) that have been built since 1996.
• £5.5m investment in local nature reserves, country parks, and key greenspace sites to create places where visitors are more active, share better experiences, and stay longer. The new outdoor education centre has seen almost 7,000 pupils experience exciting outdoor learning on site since it opened in 2021. 
• A 10-year active travel strategy in place.
• The creation of high-level design concepts for Town Visions to inform the future investment strategy for North Lanarkshire’s towns and enable the town centre Action Plans to be progressed.
• City Deal investment has seen the completion of the first North Lanarkshire infrastructure project (Glenboig Link Road, in 2018), Motherwell Town Centre Interchange nearing completion, and the West Coast Main Line crossing due for completion in May 23.  Feasibility and design work is progressing to take forward all remaining subprojects Orchard Farm roundabout, Ravenscraig Infrastructure Access North and South, East Airdrie Link Road, and Eurocentral Strategic Active Travel).
• Securing a Connectivity contract to transform the area’s digital infrastructure and aim (by the summer of 2024) to ensure that 85% of homes across North Lanarkshire have access to gigabit capable broadband earlier than planned. To date 196 of the planned 340 kilometres of Commsworld’s ultrafast spine, full fibre digital network has been laid. 

The Leader summed up, “However, we cannot be complacent and while there are significant improvements, considerable challenges remain and it’s vital that we continue to work with partners to address the unacceptably high levels of child poverty, deprivation and inequality in North Lanarkshire. 

“We must do more. And we will do more. A new programme of work was agreed by the council which sets out projects and activity that goes much further, moves faster and in a more joined-up way to improve health and wellbeing and impact on regeneration, the economy and communities.”